Ernest Harry Bull
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Ernest Harry Bull was born in 1880 he was the son of the late Thomas a publican and Elizabeth Bull née Parsons of Mansfield Thomas was born in 1845 at Radford, he died in 1907 at Mansfield he was 62 yrs of age, Elizabeth Parsons was born in 1848 at Pleasley she died in 1907 at Mansfield aged 59 yrs, they were married in 1866 at Mansfield, they had 7 children. Ernest married Bertha Buxton (born 24th November 1878 South Normanton) they were married on 1st September 1902 at St John's Church, Mansfield, had the following children, Henry Leslie, born 15th January 1903, Ernest Harold, born 19 th April 1905 Dorothy Mary, born 24th May 1907, Cyril Arthur, born 19th April 1909 and , Marjorie Annie, born 21st June 1911 The family lived at 84 Smith Street, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. In 1911 the family were living at Hills Town, Bolsover, Ernest 31 yrs is a grocers assistant, he is living with his wife Bertha 32 yrs and 4 of their children. Commencing 28th May 1917 his widow was awarded a pension of 33 shillings and 9 pence a week.
The 17th Sherwood Foresters were formed on the 1st of June 1915 at the order of the Mayor. The Battalion moved to Witley in Surrey for final training in October 1915 and proceeded to France on the 6th of March 1916, landing at Le Havre, and were held near Blaringhem. On the 30th June 1916 they were in action in an attack near Richebourg l'Avoue with the Sussex battalions and suffered heavy casualties. They were in action during the Battles of the Somme, including, the Battle of Thiepval Ridge where Sgt Bull was killed while attacking the German stronghold of Schwaben Redoubt, near the town of Thiepval, Northern France. Sergeant Bull was initially reported missing after the action on 3 September 1916. His death was not confirmed by the Army until July the following year; date of death presumed 3 September 1916. His body was either never found or could not be identified and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial (panel 10C).
Mansfield Reporter, 17 November 1916: ‘Local Casualties. 346 Sherwood Casualties. Over 100 Notified As Missing … Sgt EH Bull 28335, Mansfield.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Mansfield Reporter, ‘Roll of Honour’, 7 September 1917: Bull. Sergeant Ernest Harry Bull, 17th Sherwood Foresters, ‘missing’ September 3rd 1916; reported killed July 21st, 1917, on his 37th birthday.’ (britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Battle of Theipval Ridge At 6.30am on the 3rd of September 1916, Sgt Bull and his men advanced uphill from their trenches along the northern edge of Thiepval Wood towards the German lines near Schwaben Redoubt, Sgt Bull was wounded in one leg. He continued to advance but was then hit in the other leg when a shell exploded close to him and he fell into the mud. The machine gun fire & shelling from the Germans was greater than had been expected and so intense that his colleagues were unable to stop to go to his aid so he was left lying in No Mans Land while the battle went on around him between the Allied and German lines. Later that day, owing to the continued overwhelming fire from the German positions, the surviving British soldiers were recalled to their trenches to await the arrival of reinforcements. Some of the withdrawing troops had difficulty getting into the 6' deep trenches as they were full of dead bodies. Although Sgt Bull was still alive, no-one could help him and he was left behind. According to witness accounts, during the evening of the 3rd of September injured men could be heard by soldiers in nearby trenches calling out for help. As dusk fell, a German sniper opened fire on the wounded. When it became too dark for him to pick his targets the Germans released gas into 'No Mans Land'. The gas used was heavier than air so it settled in low-lying areas like trenches and craters. The green mist rolled slowly downhill towards the Allied lines. The gas caused severe burns to bare flesh and the lungs to fill with fluid so the victims in effect drown on dry land. By the following morning all the wounded soldiers in No Mans Land had fallen silent and they were believed to have died during the night either as a result of the sniper, their wounds, or from inhaling poisoned gas. Of the 650 men who went 'over the top' on the 3rd of September, 436 either died, were wounded, or were never found. In a second letter dated 31 January 1917 from the British Red Cross to Mrs Bull (scanned), testimony is provided by Pte. 22261 Benjamin James DYER, 17th Bn Sherwood Foresters who was killed in action on 8th November 1917. His remains were either never found or identified and he is commemorated on the wall of Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium, and is recorded in this Roll of Honour.
